OWENSBORO, Ky. (7/11/13) – The seven-county Green River Area Development District isn’t a place the Kentucky Office of Adventure Tourism Department has put much focus on in the past, but that’s about to change.

That was the message from Elaine Wilson with the Office of Adventure Tourism as she spoke to GRADD’s Board of Directors at the group’s meeting Wednesday morning, July 10.

“We intend to change how much we know about this region’s tourism opportunities,” Wilson said.

During her presentation, Wilson told the board and others present in the audience that the goal of the state’s “Unbridled Adventure” theme is to help raise awareness about the different types of horse camps, park trails, and other outdoors activities available across the Commonwealth.

“We want to encourage people to take a look at things from the perspective of a cyclist, hunter, (etc.),” she said.

In other business, GRADD Treasurer Steve Austin told the board the district’s fiscal year is 92 percent complete, and that it has only spent 87 percent of its proposed budget for the current fiscal year.

Members also approved a series of local projects, including a three-phase 20-year project in the amount of $8.276 million for a portion of the work. According to information provided, the total project will cost about $40 million when completed. Other projects approved included a roughly $265,000 design of a connector trail from Yellow Creek Park to the new Owensboro Health campus and trail system; $892,000 to Union County Fiscal Court for removal and replacement of dilapidated homes in Union County as well as just more than $776,500 to Webster County Fiscal Court for a similar eight-home project there; almost $2.76 million for construction of new storm drainage and sewers in Morganfield; $242,500 to Henderson County Fiscal Court for rerouting of a drainage ditch at the airport; and $76,000 to Tri-County Recycling for paving of a new driveway at the recycling center.